Warmth
by 1337Kitty
Summary: Nora's patience and MacCready's trust are starting to wear thin after a disagreement. (Rated M for mild violence and near death experiences)


(A/N: This is for likegoodangel's December image prompt. It was a good run, and I had a lot of fun with all of them.)

The rhythmic crunch of snow under their feet filled the silence between them. Snowflakes flittered gently down from dark grey clouds, landing gently on his duster. Shivering, he jammed his hands into his pockets for what little warmth they offered. "If we are going to Goodneighbor, why are we going the longest way possible? I'm freezing." MacCready shifted his rifle on his shoulder, glancing around pensively at the surrounding hills.

"This is a safer route around the pocket of raiders and supermutants since all we have is your rifle and my shotgun," Nora said without taking her eyes from her Pipboy, "If we hurry, we can make it to Bunker Hill before nightfall."

MacCready glared daggers at Nora, who was too busy studying her Pipboy map to notice. "Things would go a lot better if you would listen to me once in awhile! It's getting dark. We would freeze to death before we even crossed the bridge." He pointed to the bridge on the map, smudging the screen with his finger.

"If you did more walking and less complaining, we would be there by now," she said with an exasperated sigh, using her coat sleeve to wipe away the fingerprint. The forest was becoming thinner, and a cracked road came into view just beyond a rusted guarder rail. Nora hoped over the rail with ease, stopping to survey the area. Mac followed her less gracefully, stumbling over the twisted piece of metal. They were at the edge of a wide lake that appeared to flow into a river. A house, that seemed almost in decent condition except for the missing roof, perched at the waters edge not to far from where they stood.

"And how do you suppose we'll get around that, Boss?" Mac scoffed, pointing to the wide expanse of water. "Swim?"

"The map says this is Taffington Boathouse. If we could find a boat, we could simply follow the river to Bunker Hill."

"You can look for a boat. I'm making camp here," he huffed, stalking away toward the house, continuing his rant, "No amount of caps is worth saving your ass- er- butt. Since you are so hell-bent on freezing to death, you can do it alone, assh... fu... Idiot!"

Nora shook her head and chuckled, fog puffing out from her breath, and watched as MacCready proceeded to kick down the door. With an echoing crack, the rusty lock crumbled, and the door swung wide open. The mercenary strode inside without even a second glance to Nora.

She shrugged, trudging through the snow. The slippery wooden boards creaked under her weight. Treading carefully, she made it to the edge of the was supposed to meet Nick at the Memory Den, but Mac needed help with the Gunners, and then one thing led to another and she was left taking the long way around. _All I want to do was save Shawn and get back to living what is left of my life as soon as possible._

"Hmm, not a boat in sight." Nora exhaled forcefully through her nose and tossed her duffel bag, shotgun included, to the ground. She watched in the heavy silence as the snow continued to twirl down gracefully over the lake. She could see the tree line on the far side, reflecting a mirror image in the serene waters.

A distant hum faintly sounded across the waters. Breathing in deep, she held her breath to listen. She couldn't tell if it was her imagination or the ringing of her ears. But then the sound grew closer. A brown spindly blur appeared, flying from across the lake, zigzagging with agile precision. It crossed the waters in the blink of an eye, charging straight for Nora's throat.

Pivoting on her heels, she rushed to her bag, where her shotgun lay neatly on top. Grabbing it, she whipped around and stopped dead in her tracks, coming face to face with two red compound eyes. The giant insect-like creature, hovering inches from her face, resembled an oversized mosquito. 'I don't need Mac. I can handle this' she thought as she moved to smack it with the butt of her gun, but it dodged with ease. The creature twitched it's head from left to right, long thin proboscis cutting the air with a swish, but did not retaliate. Turning to leave, she walked two steps before the insect darted in front of her path. If the thing does not want to attack, but doesn't me to leave, then what is it doing? The thrumming of their collective wings resounded in her chest. Panic rose into her throat when more blurs appeared across the water's edge, spreading out around her.

MacCready hovered over the cinderblock firepit, basking in the small amount of warmth it provided. Upon inspection, the mercenary had found the place was neatly kept and moderately furnished, although he had yet to check the upstairs. If it wasn't for the thick layer of dust, we would've expected the house's occupants to return at any moment. His thoughts soon shifted to Nora. _Was she still out there? Did she abandon him to die in the middle of the Godforsaken wasteland?_ "Didn't pay me enough caps to put up with her sh-crap," he grumbled, wishing he had not given her caps back for dealing with his Gunner problem. Then, a thought dawned on him. Perhaps she had her own problems she was running from... or running toward. _How much did he really know about Nora?_ MacCready completely missed the conversation his boss had with Kellog before she tried to blow the fort up with a mini-nuke. He knew she was searching for someone, her son maybe, and that she came from a vault. But, that was all he knew.

 _Boom!_ The rickety walls shook at the resounding explosion of a shotgun blast, jerking him back to reality. Seizing his rifle, Mac raced to the back door. He yanked it open, cold bitter wind greeting his face.

"Ahh! MacCready!"

As soon as cleared the threshold, he found Nora. Three bloodbugs hovered around her, taking turns jabbing at her with their needle-like proboscis and spitting it back at her. Nora rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand fervently, trying to clear the blood and radioactive goo from her face. She was staggering around like a wounded radstag, groaning in pain. The Geiger counter on her Pipboy clicked furiously. Her shotgun lay several feet away, half buried in the snow.

He raised his rifle, but it became apparently clear that any shot taken would have a chance of hitting Nora. "Stand still!"

"Mac... help," she pleaded, her voice quivering.

"I need you to trust me, Boss.

"  
Nora inhaled a deep breath, letting it out in a whoosh of fog. To MacCready's surprise, her arms fell plastered at her sides, standing straight and still like a statue.

Taking aim once more, he fired. The deafening rifle shot rang out against the snow-muted wilderness. A bug dropped like a rock, freshly drawn blood staining the snow. Mac popped another shot, exploding it into a mess of insect limbs and parts. Nora could feel the wind of the bloodbug's wings beating against her face. The thing had landed on her shoulder! She dared to squint open an eye. Two red compound eyes stared blankly back, its pointed proboscis inching closer to her neck. Balling her fists at her sides, Nora squinted her eyes shut, fighting the urge to run. She could feel the sting of the sharp needle grazing her neck. _Bang!_ The last insect fell to the ground, twitching wildly. Another bullet put it down for good. And for a moment, nothing but silence rang in his ears.

MacCready slung the rifle over his shoulder. The vault dweller appeared a few shades paler than normal and her hair was a mess, but she was in one piece. "You ok?" There was a sense of worry in his question, which he did his damnest to hide.

She gave a weak smile and shook her head. "What were those things? They look like overgrown mosquitoes!"

"Bloodbugs. A swarm can drain a bramin of blood in under a minute," he spoke, taking a step toward her, "Wait, do you hear that?"

 _Thunk, thud! Thud, thunk!_ It almost sounded like a tennis ball being thrown against a window. Their eyes traveled upward, to the second story window directly above them. _Thud... Thud... CRASH!_

The upstairs window shattered, raining down shards of glass. A bloodbug, larger and grey-black in collar, darted out. Without hesitation, it nose dived straight for MacCready. The bug slammed into him at full force, knocking him off his feet, sending him skidding backwards onto the dock.

"Ack!"

Using both his hands and all his strength, he tried to shove the blood-sucking bug off. It's legs clawed into the fabric of his jacket, anchoring itself. Nora, seizing her gun from the snow, lifted it and took aim only to realize that she didn't have a clear shot. The needle-sharp proboscis inched closer and closer to his jugular. _Would a stimpack fix a severed artery?_ Gritting his teeth, Mac closed his eyes and waited to feel the sharp sting.

With all the strength she could muster, Nora tackled the insect, smacking it with the butt of her gun. They both rolled in a tangle of limbs, plunging into the icy cold depths of the lake.

"Nora!" Mac shouted after her. His eyes scanned the rippling surface. _I can't see a damn thing!_ Adrelanline pumped through his veins. He could feel his heart pounding. Bubbles gradually rose to the surface. A dark shadow started to rise. As it got closer, he could make out Nora's plaid winter coat.

Reaching in the dark waters, Mac hauled her lifeless form onto the dock. "Boss, can you hear me? Boss!"

Her face was pale, even against the snow, making her red hair seem like fire. He shook her shoulders, but no response came. He froze, listening for breathing. Nothing. _Alright... what did Lucy say about CPR?_ He racked is brain trying to remember. Lucy had only mentioned it a couple of times in passing while reading salvaged medical books. Gently, he put his hands on her sternum and began compressions.

"One... two... three... four..." He lifted her chin, tilting her head back, causing her lips to part slightly. MacCready's face was inches away from her's. Mustering his courage, he hoped that if Nora woke up while he was doing this that she wouldn't punch him in the face. Mac leaned down, pinching her nose and pressing his lips against hers. He breathed a slow breath into her, and listened. His boss laid there in the snow, limp and lifeless. He repeated the motions, fear creeping into the back of his mind.

"Come on!" he growled as if to will her awake. On the third attempt, Nora shot up, violently coughing and spewing water.

"W-what... what are you...?" she tried to ask in between coughs.

"Trying to save your life," he said, unable to hide the grin edging across his face, "Let's go. You're going to catch hypothermia if you don't get out of those clothes."

Nora nodded, shivering wildly and forcefully coughing up water, as Mac helped her inside and onto the couch. "Here,"Mac retrieved her bag, digging out some clothes, "I'll- uh- just be over here..." He waited until she was done, closing his eyes and patiently waiting until she said otherwise.

She ended up with a baggy thin long sleeved shirt and raggedy jeans, with more rips than fabric. "That doesn't look warm enough. I'll let you borrow this, but I expect it back tomorrow morning." shrugging off his duster, MacCready handed it over.

"I'm... sorry about earlier. It was a really stupid idea. I should've listened to you," Nora said, accepting the gift without meeting his gaze.

The mercenary stood silent for a moment, trying to choose his words carefully this time. "I may talk a lot of crap, but I don't mean it. Let's just forget about it, ok?" There was another stretch of awkward silence. "So... you came from a vault, right? Why did you leave?" He poked at the small fire idly, sending embers scattering in the air.

"I did. We- me, my husband, and my baby Shawn, were chosen for the vault. I thought we were lucky. And then the bombs fell-"

"Wait, you are saying you were there when the bombs fell... two-hundred years ago?" MacCready scanned her face for any sign that she was lying _. Although it did make sense- all the pre-war knowledge, all the weird things she would say..._

Nora sat on the ground, staring deeply into the flames, avoiding his probing gaze." We were ushered into the vault. They told us to get into this decontamination pod or something like that. All I know is that they froze us there- on the spot. Some time later, I woke up and saw my husband killed and Shawn taken away. I... have to save him... I just have to!"

Nora buried her head in her hands as tears streaked down her face. Guilt of not being able to help, to be the only survivor, of feeling responsible washed over her like a tidal wave.

MacCready took a seat next to her, resting a hand on her shoulder and gave a comforting squeeze. "I'll do whatever I can to help. I promise," he said low and gentle. The words of comfort, even though they were small, gave some relief. She smiled, turning her tear-streaked gaze at him and felt warmth. "And just so you know," he leaned close to her ear like he was telling a secret, "No one wears two-hundred like you do, boss."

Nora laughed, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand.

The two of them ate a warmed up can of cram, huddled around the meager fire, and even talked about Little Lamplight.

"Sounds like the road can be a lonely place," she smiled coyly, tilting her head at the conclusion of his story, "until you meet someone to share it with."

"I... well, I never thought of it that way," Mac stammered, eyes darting to the floorboards.

Nora, giggling at his reddening cheeks, hugged her legs tighter.

"Look, I know I tend to be a pain in the ass... I mean, I know I tend to be arrogant and I come off like I want to be alone. Nothing could be further from the truth. Being alone scares the heck out of me," MacCready locked eyes with her and, for a brief second, he felt something in those hazel eyes that made his heart skip, "Now that we've been traveling together for a while, I'm beginning to realize how much I missed having someone I could depend on. I just wanted you to know that I'm going to everything I can to see that it stays this way."

"So will I."

Later that night, the two of them huddled in a cramped sleeping bag on a worn and stained mattress on the second floor. MacCready's arms laid uncomfortably against his chest, trying to give as much personal space as the sleeping bag would allow.

"You could've just... taken my caps and go... Why did you save me?" Her question was barely a whisper.

Mac chuckled softly, causing warm puffs of air to tickle her ear. "Probably for the same reason you saved seem to care -for whatever reason- what happens to me."

Nora hummed in agreement. Eventually, after several long moments of being uncomfortable, sleep found them both.

The light had just barely begun to show through the windows when Mac awoke. He found himself nestled snugly against his boss. His cheek was tucked against her shoulder, an awkward boner was digging into her lower back, and one hand wrapped around her middle. _What the hell am I touching... OH MY GOD!_ He mentally screamed, realizing that he had been cupping her breast for probably the majority of the night. Nora's breathing remained steady and even. So slowly, as if defusing a bomb, he moved his hand to her stomach. Giving a sleepy sigh, she snuggled her back closer, fitting perfectly against his chest like a puzzle piece. _Ugh, great... There's no way out of this one._

A part of the merc, a part he was desperately trying to repress, enjoyed being this close to her. _If she has a problem with it, I'll just pretend I was asleep the whole time... because I was... mostly._ He fully basked in the pleasant warmth she provided, ducking his head into her neck. MacCready smiled to himself as he quietly fell back into sleep.


End file.
